Tesla Inc.’s sprawling manufacturing hub in Austin, Texas, more than tripled its employee ranks last year, the company told county officials.
(Bloomberg) — Tesla Inc.’s sprawling manufacturing hub in Austin, Texas, more than tripled its employee ranks last year, the company told county officials.
By the end of 2022 the carmaker had invested $5.81 billion in the 2,500 acre site, which it calls Gigafactory Texas, according to a 114-page annual compliance report Tesla filed with Travis County’s Economic Development Program. Just over half of its workers resided in the county and the average full-time employee there was paid at least $47,147 last year.
Elon Musk-led Tesla has made significant strides in reshaping the Texas capital as a major tech center since moving its headquarters there from Palo Alto, California, in 2021. The electric-vehicle company reported a workforce of 12,277 in the Austin area at the end of 2022, up from just 3,523 contingent and permanent employees in 2021.
Texas leads the nation in job growth, in part due to Tesla’s arrival. The company now builds the Model Y crossover SUV at its Austin facility, and plans to make the forthcoming Cybertruck there. It also plans to add employees in the state as it builds out a cathode factory in Austin and its lithium refinery in Corpus Christi.
Beyond nurturing the company’s growth, Tesla expects its Austin car factory to serve as a model for sustainable and productive manufacturing facilities. Last year, the company completed the first phase of what will become “the largest rooftop solar installation in the world,” according to the report.
Tesla is now moving into the second phase of the solar roof installation. In total the project will be able to generate 27 megawatts of power, Tesla said.
Read more: Elon Musk’s Texas Empire-Building Has Been Years in the Making
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